hig-gins



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J.'J. HIGGINS.

y PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA. No. 397,428. Patented Feb. 5, 1889.

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WTNESSES:

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. lJ. HIGGINS. PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

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ATTORNEY.

N. FETER Phawulmpphw. Washington, D. u.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3. J. J. HIGGINS.

PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA. No. 397,428.

atented Peb. 5, 1889.

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BY um (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

J. J.A HIGGINS.

PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA. No. 397,428. Patented Peb. 5, 1:889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EETCEo JOHBT HIGGIS, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No, 397,428, dated February 5, 1889. Application tiled April 21,1888. Serial No. 271,369. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Bc it known that l, JOHN J. llIGoiNs, ot' the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Photographic Cameras, ol.' which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

, the shutter applied thereto.

This invention, while applicable to other i photographic cameras, is more particularly designed for what are known as detectivecameras, and will here be more especiallvi described with reference to such.

The invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, includdescribed, and pointed out in the claims, the whole instrument, too, being so constructed i that it presents little or no mechanism on its character.

Reference is to be had to1 thc accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specitieation,

and mechanism tor operatingandy controlling lfigs. S, t), and l() are perspective views, also upon an enlarged scale, of certain details connected with or forming part otl the shuttor-operating mechanism.

A is the bod)v ol.l the case, to which mav be attached a handle, Z), for carryingl the instru- 1 ment, and which is provided with a slip or other cover, B, on its lens end fastened by screws Orothcrwise to the body, and is further provided at its opposite or plate-holding end with a hinged or otherwise attached cover, C.

D is the partition or diaphragm, having an exposing-aperture, c, back of the lens and between the lens and the plate-holder E and its frame F when adjusted for use. This apertured diaphragm D is at the rear end of a stationary box partor chamber, (l, in the lensend 'portion of the body ot' the camera,which chamber-preferablv o t rectangular term-is open in front and has its sides lined with velexterior to attract special attention as to its vet or cloth or other light-excluding material d. Said chamber G serves to receive freely, but closely, within its lined sides a movable in which similar letters of reference indicate correspondingl parts in all the figures.

Figure l represents a perspective view of a photographic camera havin my invention applied. same in part. Fig. S is a mainl)y central vertical longitudinal. seet-ion of the same with lens and closed. tive of a sliding focusing-box and shuttercarrier with attached lens-tube and device for drawing said box in or out and for setting the shutter. Fig. 5 is a t'ront elevation of the camera open with its front cover and sliding focusing-box removed. Fig. t; is a partlysectional or from its interior, ot a cover applied tothe forward end of the camera-case with certain attachments thereon for controlling the slides which open and close the cxposing-apert'ures of the lens-tube and finder o't the instrument. Fig. 7 is an elevation or back view upon an enlarged scale of the interior of the sliding t tor light passing' through the lens.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the lens-box, ll, open in the rear, but closed in tront excepting where an aperture, c, is made Y This movable lens-box H has the tube l,whieh carries the lens immovably secured in an)v suitable or detachable manner to the front of iti so as to project in Front thereof and in line with the aperture e and with the exposing- Fig. 4 is a view in perspec broken perspective view, as seen aperture f in the cover l. Said lens-box H, which also carries the shutter at: the back end of thelens-tube, beingtitted as described, is Vtree to be slid or moved in or out, and the attached lens or lens-tube along with it, within the chamber G,in a light-tight manner, for the purpose ot focusing, thus dispensing with a bellows.

Instead of lining the camera-cliaml er, as described, with cloth or other light-excluding material, the lens-box mav be covered therewith and the exclusion ot light similari.)v et'- tected. The position of the shutter is by no means confined to the rear of the lens, a slight alteration of mechanism allowing it to be focusing-box and shutter-carrier with shutter. placed in front of or within the lens-tube.

IOO

lVhen this focusing sliding box or lens and shutter-carrier H is moved fully back, as shown in Fig. 3, the lens-tube occupies a position wholly within the chamber G and its end cover, l5, and so that the exposing-aperture f may be closed by a sliding face-plate or cover, J, on the exterior ot.' the cover l. This Aface-plate, which is represented in the form of an escutcheon-bnt may be ot any other suitable shape-is shown as united below the cover l; by a hollow rivet or pivot, g, and as striking against a stop, 71, when turned up to close the eXposing-aperturejl For exposure or to draw the lens-t ubeI out through the aperture f, tor the changing of stops or other purposes, the cover .l is turned down, as shown in full lines in Fig. l, or it may be otherwise adjusted out'ot the way of said aperture. This adjustment of the lens is etected by pullin outward upon a post, K, secured to the sliding lens-box H and passing out through the hollow rivet or pivot g. Said adjusting-post K has a `graduated series of grooves or notches, i', in it, at dit't'erent points in its length, corresponding to thel required adj ust-ment of the lens to suit ditterent focuses or distances the object to be photographed is from the lens. A click -spring, k, engages with the notches i in this post to indicate the proper projection ot' the lens-tube for photographing an object at a given distance, 'the noise or sensation produced by the engagement signifying that therequired projection has been made. Thus, when the post K is drawn out so that the click-spring 7a enga-ges with the outer end or tirst of the notches i', the lens has been properly adj usted tor photographing at a certain distance, and accordingly as said post is farther drawn out to engage the spring K with any one of the suceeeding notches 'i will the lens be adjusted for photographing at another distance dependent upon the notchwith which the clickspring is made to engage, each backwardlysucceeding notch answering for a given alteration of distance. This engaging of the click-spring 7i, however, with the post K does not prevent another adjustment being made for focusing.

L is the finder applied to the case ot' the instrument above the chamber G and in a like vertical. plane with the lens-tube, Z being the lens of the tinder, ni its exposing-aperture in the cover B, n its mirror, and 0 its ground glass, protected by a sliding cover, j).

The exposing-aperture lm is provided with a slide, M, for opening and closing it, as required. lVhen said slide M is closed, it is made to lock or hold the slide or cover .l of the lens-exposing aperture falso closed, to prevent accidental or untimely exposure. This may be done by any suitable locking devices controlled by the slide M, and which are here shown (see Fig. 6) as consisting of a sliding strip, s, attached to the back of the slide M, working within guides t t, and moving, when the slide M is closed, over a bent spring-catch,

il, having a pin, i, on its outer end,which en d gages, through an aperture in the cover B, with a correspondin aperture or recess in the slide or cover J when the latter is closed, and as the sliding strip s slides over the bent and tree end portion of the spring-catch 1l. Thon the slide M, however, is opened, then the attachcd strips ceases to bear upon the springcatch a to close it, and said spring-catch re lievcs itselt t'rom engagement with the slide or cover J, which then may be opened as re- The post K, by which the sliding box H, with its attached lens-tube l, is slid in or out, is made hollow to receive longitudinally through it the spindle a of a rotary shutter within the box ll, said spindle turning at its inner end in a rear bearing formed by a brace, b', and projecting at its outer end beyond the outer end of the post K to receive or have screwed upon it a knob, c', by which to tu rn the spindle d back and set the shutter for exposure. This same knob also (by Aturther rotation) gives increase of vvelocity or tension to shutter ot' a g 'aduated and set character. ly the connection, too, of the spindle a with the post K, Awhich latter serves as a bearing tor the spindle in front ot the shutter, said spindle-that is restrained from independent longitudinal movement while free to turn upon its axis-serves, through the knob c', when simply pulling or pushing upon it in a straight line, to adjust the box H with its attached lenstubc in or out, or, in other words, the focus, whereby the same device answers, accordingly as the knob c is either pulled or pushed upon or turned, to both adjust the focus or lens-tube I and to set the shutter, also to give it less or greater rapidity, as also to withdraw the lens from the camera for change of diaphragm or stops.

N is the rotary sli-utter, ot' disk form, secured to the spindle ai', and having an aperture, d', of any suitable shape, in range with the lens, exposing aperture c, back ot the lens-tube I. This apertured disk or rotary shutter N, which works close up to the back of the lens-tube I, has a series of ratchet teeth or notches, e', in or on its periphery, with which a lever-catch, O, controlled by a spring, f', and having its fulerum at i', (see Fig. 7,) engages to hold the shutter N when closed and turned back, to give it any desired speed and throw for the purpose of varying' the length of exposure, the shutter N being shot when the lever-catch O is released from either of the notches c by the action of a compound spring, P, and cord g, attached at its one end to said spring and at its opposite end to a pulley, 71. fast on the spindle a', and around which said cord winds and unwinds. Accordingly to the extent the shutter X is turned back by the knob-spindle c. to carry its exposing-aperture d more or less beyond the lens-tube will the lever-catch O be made to engage with a certain one ofthe notches e', and in so doing the compound spring P will be pulled upon by the cord g IOO IIO

eea/ias f and be correspondinglyflexed to give it more or less tension, so that when the lever-catch O is released the shutter will be shot with more or less force to give a long, medium, or

short exposure, as required.

In the ordinary construction ot' photographic t shutters the periphery is only provided wit-h one notch, as only velocity ot the shutter is intended, and no means are provided tor increasing the velocity ot the shutter by turning it back and providing additional notches. In my invention, itI will be noticed, the shutter is constructed with a graduated series oli" notches additional to and arranged beyond the usual single notch, whereby the shutter may be baekwardly rotated and its tension i Any desired deupon the spring increased: gree of slning-tension may be given to the shutter, and the velocity of the shutter and the length ot the exposure ot' the sensitive plate may be quickened or slowed, according to the notch to which the shutter is set.

The compound spring P is made up of a ries of leaves, (see Figs. 7 and 9,) gradually increasing' in number toward its root, whereby the tension of the spring is controlled not simply by the extent ol its tiexu re, but by the number of it-s leaves or broughtinto active operation accordingly as the lever-catch O is engaged with a near or distant notch, e', thereby ettectually securing either a very slow, a-medium, or a very rapid shooting ot" the shutter and a proportionate long, short, or medium exposure. The number ot' the leaves ot' the springl) and theirarrangement may be proportioned to the number and distances apart ol' the notches or teeth e in the shutter, so that an additional spring-leaf may be brought into play t'oreaeh succeeding tooth the lever-catch t) is engaged with.

The lever-catch O is releastal to throw the shutter by pressing inward upon the button k', which bears against a hingedplate, that is controlled by a spring, in', and is in contact with the lower or tree end ot thc levercatch O. lYhen the lever-catch is released,

its engaging end rides over or 'in a depression, n', on the shutter, to hold the latter so that its aperture will bein line with the lenstube, and the shutter N is turtheianore provided with a stop tooth or projection, o', that, as the shutter is shot t'orward b v its spring, enters a wedge-shainnl slit, r', in a more or less elastic eushtoning-piece, R, to gradually stop the shutter and to avoid jar ineidental i to an abrupt arrest ot the shut-ter.

l'pon the back ot the rotary disk-sluitter and adjustable around or about its axis, upon li t'ting a spring-catch, s', is an auxiliary shutter, b, having any numberof radial apertures,

u', ot various sizes and shapes, adapted to give variations oi exposure, or exposure ot greater dimensions in one direction than another, as desirable, in photographing certain scenes or'objeets. This is eltected by turning or adjusting the auxiliary shutter S so separate springs that any one ol' its exposures u is brought i in line with or opposite the aperture d in the i main shutter N, and then holding or locking the same by adjusting' the spring-catch s',

engage with one ol a series ot' holes, l", in the auxiliaryshutter, said holes l" being arranged to correspond with the series ot' apertures u, to `keep themthat is, one at a time-in line g with the lens-tube l or across the same. i \\'hile the eamcra is mainly designed as a t portable one, it may be supported upon a trii pod, 'it desired, and be provided with asocket attachment, o?, in the bottom or elsewhere, or other suitable device tor the purpose. So unich ot' the camera as relates to the plate-holding portion in the rear ot' the in strulnent, as has herein been shown or described, lorms no part of this application, in` asinuch as l make it the subject ol a separate application tiled simultaneously with this.

Having thus fully described my i nvention, l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent--4 l. In a photographic camera, the combination, with the sliding tocusing-lmx and its attached lens or lens-t ubc, ot' a t'orwardly exteriorly extending actuating post; or rod, operated substantially as shown and described.

In a photographie camera, the combination, with the sliding focusing-box and its y attached lens or lens-tube, ot' a [forwardly exteriorly extending actuating` post or rod having grzuluations thereon to indicate alteral tions oF focus and operattal Isubstantially as shown and described.

3. In a photographic camera, the combinai tion, with the sliding focusing-box and its atg tached lens or lens-tube, ol` an actuating post l or rod having graduations or grooves t'or inl dieations ol' alterations ot tocus and a clickspring caigaging in said graduations to give audible or sensible expression thereof, essentially as described. v i. ln a photographic ramera, the spindle torming the axis of the shutter and actuating the same, said spindle being also connected with and actuating the sliding lens or focus- X ing-box, as herein shown and described, whereby alteration of the Ytocus and adjustment ot the shutter to required position are t eit'ected by said spindle, as set forth. t 5. ln a photographic camera provided with t a rotary shutter controlling the lens, the comi bination otA a forwardly-attached shutter spin- (lle or rod attached to said shutter, and a hollow post or tube through which the spindle passes and b v which it is supported, subt stantiz'illy as specitled. l t). fin a photographie camera, the combinai tion, with a sliding focusing box having an attached lens or lens-tube and rotary shutter controlling said lens, ot' a forwardly-attached shutter spindle or rod and a hollow post or tube atlixed to the slidingI box through which 1 the siindle )asses and bv which it is su l l l 1 I ported, substantially as described, whereby having' a projection or pin on its outer end tov TOO TOS

the same knob or handle oi' spindle serves to adjust the focus of lens by the movement of lens-box, and also to set the shutter ready for exposure and likewise adjust, as may be desired, the velocity ot shutter for or greater exposure and again enable a change ot' diaphragms or si ops to be made by the withdrawal of lens' trom inside ot box, as set forth.

'7. In a photographic camera provided with a finder, the comliiination, with a slide or cover applied tothe exposing-aperture otl the lens proper otf the camera, ot' a slide or cover applied to the exposing-aperture ot" the finder, and a locking mechanism organized to lock the closed cover of the main exposing-aperture when the cover of the finder exposingaperture is closed, essentially as herein set forth.

S. In a photographic camera provided with a finder, the combination, with the t'ront or forward cover of the camera-case provided with both focusing and finder exposing apertures, of a sliding focusing-box with attached lenstube adapted to move in and through said ocusiiig-aperture, the slides or covers applied to both of said apertures, and a locking mechanism organized to lock the closed cover v of the focusing aperture when the cover of the iinder exposing-aperture is closed, substantially as speciiied.

9. The combination, with the front or cover B, having focusing' and `linder exposing apertures f fm of thc slides or covers J M,the strip or attachment s secured to the cover M, and the spring-catch u, adapted to engage' with the cover J, when both slides or covers J )I are closed, essentially as described.

l0. In a photographic camera provided with a rotary shutter adapted to control the lens tube or opening of theinstrument, and which when released is shot or operated by a spring, the rotary shutter, provided with a stop-tooth or projection, o', in combination with a cushioning attachment, R, having a wedge-shaped' slot adapted to receive the stop-tooth within it and operating to smoothly and gradually arrest the shutter after it has been shot, substantially as specilied.

Il. The rotary shutter, constructed with a graduated series of ratchetftceth or notches,

e', additional to and arranged beyond the usual single tooth or notch for holding the shutter on tension, in combination With the lever-catch O, means for sett-ing or adjusting t-he shutter as desired, and the spring with attached connecting means for actuating the shutter when released, essentially as specified.

l2. The combination of the button k', the spring-controlled plate l', the spring-controlled lever-catch O, the rotary shutter N, having ratchet teeth or notches e', the spring P, the cord g', and the pulley 7L', substantially as shown and described.

13. In combination with the apertured rotary shutter N, the adjustable auxiliary shut ter S, having one or more apertures of varying size and shape, and means for holding said auxiliary shutter in position as required, essentially as specified.

ll. In a photographic camera, the combinatiomwith the shutter, of a series of springs connected therewith, said springs being arranged to come into successive operation as further rotation or progression of said shutter is made, as set forth.

l5. In a photographic camera, the arrangement in conjoined operation, substantially as herein described, of the shutter, its holding device, and driving-spring, so that the velocity of the shutter and the consequent quickness of the exposure of the sensitive plate may be increased or diminished at the will of the operator by the act of setting the shutter and according to the position in which the shutter is placed, all as set forth.

16. In a photographic camera, the combination, with the rotary shutter having a series of teeth or notches and a lever-catch engaging therewith, of a spring composed of a series of leaves ot' different lengths, which are operated in conjunction with the rotary shutter, substantially as described, whereby on the rotation of the shutter the force of one or more otsaid springs will be brought to act upon the shutter according to the number of notches or degrees of rotation given to the shutter, as set forth. y

JOHN J. HIGGINS.

IVitnesses:

C. SEDGWICK, E. M. CLARK. 

